Word similar to stigma, but without negative connotation

Question

I'm trying to describe the way in which generally, ignorant football fans will talk highly of players without having any sense or proper understanding of football or that player.

When it comes to the awarding of "Man of the Match" awards, I am trying to say there is a "stigma" around certain players wherein they will almost automatically receive such awards just because they are "stigmatised" to be deserving of the award, even if they don't perform particularly well.

What would the word be to replace "stigma"/"stigmatised"? Thanks.

You could say the refs are biased toward a given player, or that the player has star factor or celebrity on his side. — Nick, Apr 08 '19 at 20:18
You could always say "tagged" or "labeled". And some actors or sports figures "receive a nod" and other terms, indicating a likely award. — Hot Licks, Apr 08 '19 at 20:38

score 1 · Answer 1 · answered Apr 08 '19 at 19:54

This is often called the "halo effect." From Wikipedia:

The term "halo" is used in analogy with the religious concept: a glowing circle crowning the heads of saints in countless medieval and Renaissance paintings, bathing the saint's face in heavenly light. The observer may be subject to overestimating the worth of the observed by the presence of a quality that adds light on the whole like a halo. In other words, observers tend to bend their judgement according to one patent characteristic of the person (the "halo"), generalizing towards a judgement of that person's character (e.g., in the literal hagiologic case, "entirely good and worthy").

Ubi.B · Answer 2 · 2019-04-08T20:18:04.107

Stigma, figurative means "a mark of disgrace". Disgrace means: loss of reputation or respect as the result of a dishonorable action. The opposites of disgrace are: admiration, approval, credit, elevation, esteem, honor, praise, regard, respect etc. So, on same lines, I'd recommend the word Charisma. In more mundane sense, it means "personal charm" or a "positive attraction" that a person carries.

Cambridge Dictionary define charisma as,

Meaning: a special power that some people have naturally that makes them able to influence other people and attract their attention and admiration:

Usage: “Five world-class football players who have lost their charisma"

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Apr 08 '19 at 20:30

Try 2 words Outlook and Expected

When it comes to the awarding of "Man of the Match" awards, I am trying to say there is an "outlook" around certain players wherein they will almost automatically receive such awards just because they are "expected" to be deserving of the award, even if they don't perform particularly well.

Word similar to stigma, but without negative connotation

3 Answers3